Brian Tinnion scoring at Liverpool, Korey Smith’s late winner against Manchester United, Aden Flint from a Bobby Reid knockdown? Unfortunately it was not quite to be another legendary Robins moment at Ashton Gate on Tuesday evening.

Bristol City’s Carabao Cup campaign ended in glorious failure as the Robins did the city proud in defeat to Manchester City in their semi-final second leg.

Lee Johnson’s side were knocked out of the EFL Cup 2-3 on the night and 5-3 on aggregate as Leroy Sane and Sergio Aguero put Pep Guardiola’s lauded XI through to Wembley to compete for leg one of the attempt at a quadruple.

Sergio Aguero celebrates after scoring

Marlon Pack and Aden Flint netted the two goals for the hosts in front of the sold-out crowd.

The Robins were unable to make it to their first major cup final since 1909 – a 108 year wait rumbles on to match the FA Cup final appearance of 1909.

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Lee Johnson made just two changes as Nathan Baker dropped to the bench and Frank Fielding failed to recover from the groin injury he sustained at Derby on Friday night.

Before the game Lee Johnson admitted that Baker could even have started such was his recovery from his rolled ankle.

In the end 20-year-old Liam Walsh took his place with a defensive reshuffle seeing Korey Smith fill in at right-back, club captain Bailey Wright switched into the centre with Aden Flint and Walsh proving again how Johnson is quite prepared to risk throwing in young talent into important football matches.

Sergio Aguero holds off Bailey Wright

And speaking of risks, both sides diced with dangerous passes out of defence in the early stages. Walker and Wright not so much local barrel-coopers but each taking chances on the edge of the area and almost gifting a goal to the oppostion.

It was almost a competition to play the ball in style and build from your own six yard box.

Some early magnificent footwork from Smith brought cheers as he bamboozled Sane with a drag back on the right.

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Then Section 82 kept the ball for a long period to deny Man City from taking a corner, as the home fans sung “Johnstone’s Paint Trophy… You’ll never win that…”.

In between David Silva flashed in a couple of efforts from the edge of the area, Bernardo cut in from the right and Leroy Sane proved a constant menace down the left, testing Steele from distance several times.

The Robins could only amass one shot on goal in the first period to the visitors’ 15 as Flint headed tamely at Bravo.

Hordur Magnusson vies with Bernardo Silva

At the other end Steele saved well from one dangerous thrust from Bernardo but could do nothing when the Portuguese trickster punished Hordur Magnusson for dallying on the ball.

With the ball trickling to the touchline, the Iceland defender tried to shepherd it to safety but was robbed by the former Monaco winger who pulled back for German attacker Sane to smash in from eight yards out with just a minute of the first half to play.

Flint touched the ball in at the last trying to deny the score, a microcosm of the former non-league defender’s commitment.

After the break, Johnson opted to twist rather than stick and Baker and Famara Diedhiou replaced Magnusson and Walsh, but despite several Robins attacks founded on extra impetus from the changes, the Citizens increased their lead.

Leroy Sane celebrates the opening goal

Sane collected a clearance and fed De Bruyne on the halfway line and the Belgian then drilled a pass into Aguero who steadied in the right channel before hammering a shot past Steele.

And minutes later it was almost another as Sane ran into the area but mis-controlled at the last with as the 22-year-old bore down on goal.

Still, the Robins weren’t out of it yet, and Diedhiou did well to press from the front eventually winning the ball from Stones, releasing Reid who touched off to Paterson.

The Robins leading assister this season (seven in the league) grabbed another when his perfect cross found Pack arriving at pace into the box. The 26-year-old thumped his header past Bravo and, bravo, Bristol City were in flight again with half an hour to find two more goals and send the match into extra time.

Reid hounded the opposition with custom electricity and Diedhiou rose to win the aerial service, but the Robins remained grounded until injury time when they struck once more - through Flint tapping in that Reid knockdown.

Marlon Pack celebrates his goal against Man City

It was their 18th and 19th goals in the Carabao Cup competition this year, keeping the side from BS3 as the top scorers in the competition, but ultimately it wasn’t enough as Johnson’s team were able to reflect on a magnificent league cup campaign, narrowly losing 2-3 on the night.

De Bruyne sealed the win for Manchester City with the last kick of the game pushing in Sane’s low cross on 94 minutes.

No pitch invasion on the final whistle this time then, just warm memories of a great run that sees the club equal 1970-71 and 1988-89 as the two previous occasions that the Robins have made the semi-finals.